Pain remains for family of Adam Chase

After Silvia Chase's only son, Adam, went missing in June 2012, his wife, Rose Chase, was arrested six months later on charges relating to his death. Rose, of Stanley, was convicted last October by an Ontario County jury on the charges of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and endangering the welfare of a child, and was sentenced Wednesday to 24 1/3 years to life in prison.

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By Erinn Cain, ecain@messengerpostmedia.com

MPNnow

By Erinn Cain, ecain@messengerpostmedia.com

Posted Jan. 18, 2014 at 8:56 PM
Updated Jan 18, 2014 at 8:57 PM

By Erinn Cain, ecain@messengerpostmedia.com

Posted Jan. 18, 2014 at 8:56 PM
Updated Jan 18, 2014 at 8:57 PM

Canandaigua, N.Y.

Silvia Chase describes the last year and a half as simply "unexplainable."

After her only son, Adam, went missing in June 2012, his wife, Rose Chase, was arrested six months later on charges relating to his death. Rose, of Stanley, was convicted last October by an Ontario County jury on the charges of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and endangering the welfare of a child, and was sentenced Wednesday to 24 1/3 years to life in prison.

Speaking Wednesday in Ontario County Court before Rose was sentenced, Adam's sister, Jessica Chase, said it had been one year, seven months and one day — or 580 days — since her family has been normal.

"It feels like a very long time," Jessica said, of the days since her brother's death.

They included a six-month investigation by the Ontario County Sheriff's Office into Adam's disappearance. Adam's family members said they knew something wasn't right when they didn't hear from him.

"We all felt right away that something was wrong," Becky said. "It was so unlike Adam to just leave."

Silvia added, "the first phone call he would have made was to me."

She said it was a couple days after Adam went missing that she began to suspect involvement by Rose.

But, Silvia said, for about two weeks after Adam disappeared, Rose came over to her house every night for dinner.

"I didn't think about it at the time, to sit here and eat dinner like nothing was wrong," she said.

Silvia said that overall, she believed her son and Rose — whose 11-year wedding anniversary was just days before Adam's death — had had a good marriage. She said she had, however, been aware of some issues in their marriage, and that a couple of months before Adam's death, she had offered to have Rose and the couple's son stay at her house while they worked things out.

Page 2 of 2 - "She didn't have to kill him," Silvia said. "She had a way out."

Getting justice

Silvia said that when she received the news of Rose's arrest in December 2012, "it was kind of a relief, but also a shock." She was among the numerous witnesses who were called to testify during Rose's trial spanning two weeks in October 2013.

"It was very emotional and scary," Silvia said. "Then, I had to face her and look at her with that smirk. I just don't know what was going through her head."

The experience of the trial, Becky said, felt "like we're stuck in an episode of Law and Order." And when the family heard the guilty verdict — over a year after Adam's death — it was a "surreal, crazy" moment, she said.

She said that since Rose's sentencing, there is closure in that she will not have to see Rose again in a courtroom.

But, Silvia said, "I don't think there is any remorse," referring to Rose's statements in court Wednesday before her sentencing. "She reminisced about how Adam courted her and brought her flowers. Who does that? There was no, 'I'm sorry.'"

Remembering Adam

Jessica described her brother as the kind of person who "left an impact on people."

Family and friends were important to Adam, she said.

"He never let you down," Becky said. "He was always there to make you laugh."

Adam — who would have been 33 — grew up in Stanley, along with his two sisters.

Jessica said he was "always happy-go-lucky, goofy."

"He loved to pick on Jess and I," Becky added. "That was his pastime."

Silvia said she and Adam's father, Lindon, have full custody of Adam and Rose's son, who is 6 years old. She added that she sees much of her son in him.

"He is with us every day through (his son) — every day," she said, adding that Adam loved computers and was teaching his son how to use them.

Silvia said her son was always helping people — something he will continue to do, even after his death. She said the family has given Adam's remains to Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa. Dennis Dirkmaat, a forensic anthropologist and professor of anthropology, testified during Rose's trial about his involvement in December 2012 with recovering the remains from a property in Potter, Yates County. Dirkmaat will be using the remains as a teaching tool, Silvia said.

"Adam helped people in his life," Becky said. "I think it's what he would have wanted."